Rather than bore you with endless reviews of obscure beers that are never likely to make their way over to Sweden I thought instead I’d put a ‘montage’ of some of the better beers I tried into just one review round-up.

The tasting notes are from my notebook. I think it’s fair to say the record of beers drunk at the beginning of each session were more in-depth than those sampled towards the end of the day…..

From left to right:

1. Like Charlie and his golden ticket to the Willy Wonka Factory here is my pass to the first day of beery fun at the GBBF.

2. First beer of the day – Fris & Frutig Morellen Lambik (5.6%). Muddy purple body, woody sour nose and tastes like cherry and raspberry cough medicine. 3 out of 5

3. And here’s the cask the lambic came out of!

4. Fullers Seafarers Ale (3.6%) – Honey coloured ale in PERFECT condition. Smells of the seaside and salty rope with wholesome cereal body and nutty, mildly bitter finish. Great session beer! 3.5 out of 5

5. Canterbury Jack Cask (3.5%) – A lower ABV version of the beer that was available in Sweden. Mild aromas of wood, nuts and caramel. Grassy, medium-dry finish. A little thin but easy drinking! 2.5 out of 5

6. Timothy Taylor Golden Best (3.5%) – Very restrained nose but tastes of fresh, almost green malt and light citrus hops. Lovely smooth body.  3 out of 5

7. So many beers, so little time…….

8. Pitstop Penelope (5%) – Lovely coffee and toffee nose. Odd sweet then immediately sour taste, as though a drop of the lambic I first had was in it. At this ABV this mild wasn’t mild enough for me. 2 out of 5

9. Brodies Mild (3.6%) – Roasted, dry and nutty. Coffee flavours and some smoke too. Great tasting mild. This is more like it! 3.5 out of 5

10. Thornbridge Jaipur IPA (5.9%) – A British IPA with bags of floral hoppy smells which reminded me a bit of incense sticks. Juicy grapefruit and lime flavours and long lingering finish. If you’re fed up with US IPAs then you have to try this! 4 out of 5

11. Might Oak Oscar Wilde Mild (3.7%) – The best mild of the show for me. Smells of brown sugar, ink and burnt charcoal with a smooth nut and red berry middle and dry, roasted finish. This is what the British do best! 4 out of 5

12. Cairngorm Black Gold (4.4%) – A Scottish stout that displays a beautiful colour with sticky cinnamon head. Smells of chocolate and photocopier. Tastes of blackcurrant and coffee. Stand-out stuff! 3.5 (nearly 4) out of 5 (and yes, they are jellied eels!)

13. Dales Pale Ale (6.5%) – the first time I’ve ever tried one of the world’s best beers in a can on draft! Crammed full of US hops and sweet, sticky tropical fruit flavours and a mild resinous bitter finish. A classic American Pale Ale. 4 out of 5

14. Fullers Brewers Reserve No 2 (7.7%) – A strong ale aged in 30-year-old single malt casks for 500 days and rarely available in cask. Despite all the fuss I was disappointed with the mild oak and smoke body, which had hints of marmalade, prunes and dates but lacked the complexity I’d have expected given the ageing process. OK, 3 out of 5.

15. Stewart Edinburgh No 3 (4.3%) – The word in the hall was the Stewart were brewing some of the best British beers at the show and were quickly gaining a reputation as one of Scotland’s most exciting micros (without the need for stuffing beer into dead animals). This mild was smooth with restrained roast and berry flavours and a faint hint of vanilla. Another solid session beer but to be honest BrewDog is more interesting. 3 out of 5

16. Birrificio Italiano Tipopils (5.2%) – Another hyped beer that I shared with Claes and Niklas. Only have one word in my notebook about this one – boring! Can’t see where the high scores are going. Light grain and watery. This could easily pass for a stor stark! 2 out of 5